The Brent Shapiro Foundation

Only On CBS2: Renowned Litigator Robert Shapiro, Wife Open Up About Son's Untimely Death

Mission

Founded upon personal tragedy, it's our vision to conquer alcohol and drug dependence by turning the fear, grief, and helplessness caused from this disease into awareness, compassion, and support. It is the mission of the Brent Shapiro Foundation for Alcohol and Drug Awareness to become the national leader in the fight against drug and alcohol dependence by:

- Raising awareness through education

- Removing the stigma and isolation associated with this disease by inviting everyone to join in a national dialogue

- Providing support to parents on how to communicate with their children and with other parents about alcohol and drugs

- Create educational tools designed to help parents, teachers, and communities to identify when necessary to intervene with those as high-risk.

It is our belief that the solution lies in a new, different, and fresh approach. We intend to use a simple model of educating parents, teachers, children, and communities about this disease. We believe that increasing awareness if the first step to change - change in the way this disease is viewed; change in the way it is identified and prevented; and change in the way people who have disease are viewed by society.

Larry King (above)

***** THE BRENT SHAPIRO FOUNDATION *****

Brent Shapiro

Description

Brent Shapiro was born on November 7th, 1980 to Robert and Linell Shapiro and later joined by his younger brother Grant. He grew up in Los Angeles in a loving home and had a group of tight-knit friends. he was a true athlete and loved sports, especially ice hockey. Brent's problem with alcohol and drugs began in his early teens. Experimentation, typical of that age, turned into a battle for his life. Over the next few years, he went to rehab several times. In his early 20s, Brent turned his life around. He was finishing up at the University of Southern California (USC) and had plans to attend law school. he red recently become engaged and been sober for eighteen months. On the evening of October 9th, 2005, Brent thought he could experiment with alcohol once more. After a few drinks, he took 1/2 a tab of Ecstasy and almost became instantly ill. He was buried a day and a half later. The family founded this organization to honor Brent and his life, but more importantly to do its part in creating awareness about this disease of chemical dependence and halting its spread.

One of the most highly anticipated annual gala events in Southern California is the Brent Shapiro Foundation Summer Spectacular which was held at the estate of Mei Sze and Jeff Greene, one of Beverly Hills’ most impressive mega estates. Legendary attorney Robert Shapiro with his wife Linell and their son Grant, founded the Brent Shapiro Foundation to honor Brent and his life and to create alcohol and drug addiction awareness. Their son, Brent had lost his life one evening after drug and alcohol use.Entering the estate to a courtyard fountain worthy of a 5 star hotel, guests mingled with mocktails at the hors d’oeuvre stations before joining for a sit down dinner catered by Wolfgang Puck by the reflection pool and a theatrical fashion show by G by Gil. In Sinatra style, Robert Davi captivated the audience with his Sinatra renditions.LA Lakers VIP Experience with front row seats on the floor, Indianapolis 500 VIP package complete with drivers meeting and a VIP party with the Chairman of the Board of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 5 Star Cabo Azul package, Manny Pacquiao Fight Package to Macau were some of the auction items.Socialites, VIPs and entertainment personalities in attendance included Larry King, Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna, Ted Danson, Adrienne Maloof, Prince Frederic von Anhalt, Paula Abdul, Sugar Ray Leonard, Pat O’Brien, Berry Gordy, Jacob Busch, Jesse Heiman, Bai Ling, Tess Broussard, Reggie Benjamin, John Savage and Blanca Blanco.

Honoree Christopher Lawford, Linell & Bob Shapiro and MC Pat O'Brien made this year's Brent Shapiro Foundation "Summer Spectacular" the best ever. "We all need to do our part to help others," inspirational message of the evening

Haute Event: The Shapiro Foundation Raises $500,000 at Annual ‘Summer Spectacular’ With the Help of Kris Jenner & Nicole Richie

Kris and Bruce Jenner, Robert Duvall, Ryan O’Neal, Nicole Richie, Adrienne Maloof, Buzz Aldrin, Rick and Kathy Hilton, Larry King, Chris Kennedy Lawford, Marcy Miller and Gloria Allred were just some of the names who helped to raise $500,000 for the The Brent Shapiro Foundation on Saturday night.

They were among the 800 guests who attended the Summer Spectacular benefit, which raised money for alcohol and drug awareness.

The crowd gathered at Jeff Greene’s five-acre, 40,000 square foot estate in Beverly Hills to dine, bid and pay homage to Los Angeles attorney Shapiro’s son Brent, a USC student who unexpectedly in 2005 after an alcohol and ecstasy binge.

Shapiro gave a serious speech, telling the crowd: “I know one thing…It takes a life to save a life. We hope we’re saving thousands of lives with what we are doing.”

The air of levity lifted however, after a dinner by Wolfgang Puck and an auction that included items like floor seats to the season opener of the Lakers and an African safari. The evening ended with a fashion show from Baracci of Beverly Hills.

After the dinner by Wolfgang Puck, Shapiro served as auctioneer selling things like jewelry, ringside seats to a boxing match, floor seats to the opening Lakers game and even an African safari. The evening ended with a runway fashion show featuring gowns and more from Baracci of Beverly Hills.

Pat O’Brien served as the Master of Ceremonies while Chris Rene of “X-Factor” provided the evening’s musical entertainment.

Attorney Robert Shapiro and his family founded the non-profit after the tragic death of their son in 2005 to raise money and to increase awareness of the problem. This year, Christopher Kennedy Lawford received the Spirit of Recovery Award from emcee Pat O’Brien. Both are recovering addicts.

Hollywood celebrities including Robert Duvall, Ryan O’Neal, Bai Ling, Richard Grieco, Catherine Bach, Drew Seeley, Nicole Richie, Gloria Allred, and Kris and Bruce Jenner were among more than 700 people Saturday evening at the annual Summer Spectacular, which raised more than $500,000 for The Brent Shapiro Foundation for Alcohol and Drug Awareness.

Founded in 2006 by Los Angeles attorney Robert Shapiro, who was one of O.J. Simpson’s lawyers, and his family, the foundation honors the memory of his son Brent, a USC student who died suddenly in 2005 after drinking alcohol and taking ecstasy. The organization creates awareness about addictive diseases including chemical dependence and finds ways to help halt its spread.

“I know one thing,” Shapiro told the glittering crowd gathered on the grounds of Jeff Greene’s five acre palatial estate high atop Beverly Hills, “It takes a life to save a life. We hope we’re saving thousands of lives with what we are doing.”

The foundation’s newest initiatives include outreach to children as young as 12 through an innovative pilot program at the Variety’s Boys & Girls Club in Boyle Heights. Kids will be encouraged to attend Brent’s Club after school, where they will play while learning about the dangers of alcohol, illegal drugs and other things that lead to addiction, or as the group calls it “brain diseases.”

Teens who stay clean and sober will attend events where top DJs will play music and they will receive tutoring to help prepare them for school and to encourage them to go on to higher education. Each week they will be given a simple saliva test (conducted with a cotton swab of the tongue) and if they are clean, they will get a grab bag of gifts, Shapiro explained.

If they stay sober for a full school year, they will be given a cell phone to use the following year. If they graduate, they will qualify for college scholarships provided by the foundation.

Two students were singled out for scholarships, both from Phoenix House, a Los Angeles non-profit that supports individuals, families, and communities affected by substance abuse and dependency. A young woman named Audrey told her own story of using drugs, getting pregnant, having an abortion, and having her life spiral out of control until she received help. Her goal now is to attend community college and then UCLA on the Shapiro Foundation Scholarship.

“Bob and his family have turned a huge horrible situation into something positive,” said Pat O’Brien, the sports and entertainment show host who has fought his own battles with addiction in a very public way.

O’Brien acted as emcee for the evening, which included performances by America’s Got Talent winner Landau and X Factor finalist Chris Rene, who said he too was a recovering addict. “Sixteen months ago I was doing drugs,” Rene told the audience. “I’m doing well now and love being clean and sober.”

Shapiro appeared on stage with his son Grant and his wife Linell, who in her remarks called the problems of addiction an “epidemic,” and announced the foundation’s latest book aimed at children about 8 years old to help them learn about the dangers of getting involved with drugs and alcohol and to show them that they can “learn to say no.”

“We all must pay it forward,” said Linell Shapiro, “and maybe people will start to understand addiction is a disease.”

After the dinner by Wolfgang Puck, Shapiro served as auctioneer selling things like jewelry, ringside seats to a boxing match, floor seats to the opening Lakers game and even an African safari. The evening ended with a runway fashion show featuring gowns and more from Baracci of Beverly Hills.

Robert Shapiro said they were also celebrating the passage by the state of California of the ‘911 Good Samaritan Overdose Response Act’ (AB 472), to provide protection against arrest for minor drug law violations for anyone who summons emergency medical assistance to prevent a fatal overdose. Shapiro said Gov. Brown had just signed the bill into law.

Some of the most poignant remarks came from Christopher Kennedy Lawford, the son of the late actor Peter Lawford and Patricia Kennedy, whose brothers included President John F. Kennedy and Senators Robert and Ted Kennedy. He was awarded the Spirit of Recovery Award, which was previously given to Kelly Osborne and Sugar Ray Leonard.

Lawford said he has been sober for 26 years, and now is a fulltime advocate for issues of substance abuse and the need for awareness. He said he came from a family of addicts. “Legend has it that right after my birth my parents went straight from St. Joseph’s hospital to the Beachcomber bar in Malibu,” said Lawford. “That was the start of my alcoholism.”

Lawford said he now has three children and they have never seen him take a drink. O’Brien said he sees Lawford almost every week when both attend meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous.

“I accept this award not for me,” said Lawford, “because I don’t want awards, but for families, for my family and for those who help.

“There’s an overdose epidemic today in the country,” Lawford told The Hollywood Reporter, echoing his remarks in his acceptance. “Overdoses have just overtaken traffic fatalities in terms of deaths, especially among our young people, so people need to get aware.”

Lawford, who works with the United Nations and White House on related policy issues, had high praise for the Brent Shapiro Foundation’s efforts. He said they are raising “amazing awareness and visibility in Hollywood. People pay attention because Bob, through his notoriety, is able to get a lot of people of note here to come and talk about this.”

Lawford is author of the books Symptoms of Withdrawal and Moments of Clarity, and early in 2013 will publish his latest book, Recover To Live. “Basically there’s no real difference between gambling, sex addiction, alcoholism and drug abuse,” said Lawford. “It’s a brain disease.”

“Look at it this way,” added Lawford, “this disease costs this country three times what cancer costs us. Every year the American Cancer Society raises over $1 billion. You know how much we raise for addiction? $20 million. The reason is that people are unaware. There is a stigma. People don’t want to deal with it. They don’t know there are solutions and one of the major solutions is awareness that this is an illness. Then people won’t look at addicts like there’s something wrong with them.”

My ex boss Evans that called the man next to him, Robert Shapiro his brother. When Evans was writing 'The Kid Stays in the Picture'...it was the chapters about Shapiro that brought him to strong emotions. Love them both!

Hundreds of loyal Supporters and Friends gathered in the Backyard for Dinner, Auctions, Entertainment, and a Fashion Show to Help support The Brent Shapiro Foundation Fundraiser! I hope you Support this important cause too! Ann Dandridge POWERFUL PEOPLE and FRIENDS

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I'm Searching for "Special" Individuals, Groups & Organizations to JOIN Us here at PPAF! MANY may "not" know my Purpose for Starting our PPAF Network. I'm Gathering EVERYONE Together who Helps to Improve the Quality of Life for Others! If you know of these People INVITE them to Join Us! Enjoy the information below!

WHO Do You ADMIRE? Sometimes it's disturbing to see who People Admire and/or why they Admire Them. I admire EVERYONE who Loves their Neighbor as much as they Admire/Love Themselves! I admire PEOPLE who Respect Themselves & also Show Respect & Courtesy to OTHERS! Ann Dandridge

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